Younger Vick Patiently Waiting For His Turn

Redshirt Freshman Set To Make Bid For Starting Spot Soon

BLACKSBURG — Marcus Vick hears it everyday. It's the first thought the freshman has as he suits up for Virginia Tech football practices, and the last thought he has as he leaves the field.

"Practice like you're going to be starter this week."

That's what Kevin Rogers, the Hokies' quarterbacks coach, tells him at least once a day. It has taken a while to sink in, but it has. Maybe because Vick can finally see himself being the Hokies' starter. Not this Saturday against Virginia, not at Miami either. But soon.

He's up to 198 pounds, 15 pounds more than when he arrived on campus in late July. He has started to transform himself from gangly newcomer to chiseled up-and-comer. When Vick throws passes during practice, receiver routes aren't pages from a playbook that he must translate into actions like they were 10 weeks ago. Things are becoming more natural. Things are becoming real.

"I kind of challenge myself, just to see how much better I've gotten since the summertime," Vick said. "I really wasn't seeing it back then. In the last couple of weeks, I've been doing all right. I'm zipping the ball in there. I'm recognizing reads. I'm just taking advantage of it all."

Vick, a Warwick High graduate, is as happy as a redshirt can be this late in the season. He's waiting his turn. He doesn't stop to think what life would've been like had he decided to go to Virginia or Tennessee. Considering the competition at those two universities, he probably would have been in a similar situation.

Instead, he's accepting this season for what it is; a chance to get better and prepare for spring practice. That's when his life could change, and the pressure will start to build again. It's a foregone conclusion that he will challenge Bryan Randall for the starting job.

"Marcus has gained weight," Hokies coach Frank Beamer said. "He looks different. He knows the offense a lot better and he knows the terminology. It's going to be an interesting spring for him."

Learning the playbook was the first step. Though he shares the last name of his legendary former Hokie brother, Michael, Marcus proved that genes don't guarantee instant success.

Marcus struggled in the first month-and-a-half. He couldn't recognize formations or plays. It was all coming too fast. He was a freshman playing like one.

Then, in the days before Virginia Tech's 47-21 victory against Marshall on Sept. 12, the potential started to show. Vick ripped off a 10-of-10 passing effort against the first-team defense in a live drill.

The freshman was growing up. Believe it or not, he credits Randall with some of that progress.

"During the summer, when I was struggling, he recognized things and he kind of helped me," said Vick, who hopes to gain about 15 more pounds in the offseason. "Sometimes when times would get hard, he'd tell me, 'Last year, I was a rookie and I wasn't seeing everything all that great.' No one was there to help him last year, so he's taking it upon himself to lend a helping hand to me sometimes."

There's a lot more to learn before the spring, according to Rogers. Vick needs better study habits. He can't nod off in position meetings anymore. Rogers says some of that inattentiveness comes from the frustration of not being able to play.

"He's not getting coached right now," Rogers said. "Essentially, for the last four or five weeks, he has helped the defensive scout team players. I get him during individual drills and things like that. I think it's just a natural way to react. He's not getting all he can get out of our meetings right now. I think he's kind of sitting back and saying, 'I'm not going to play this year. I'm the third-team quarterback.' So, I'm not sure he's mentally where he needs to be in those meetings during the course of the day. I think he needs to pay more attention and try to emulate being a starter more."

What additional motivation does an 18-year-old kid need? Well, Vick is supplying the rest by watching Michael play quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons. Sometimes, his brother's creativity seems guided by something akin to clairvoyance.

At least Marcus is already thinking like his brother.

"Sometimes I don't know where I'm going with the ball before the play happens," Vick said. "In high school, during my junior and senior years, I knew before the play even happened where I was going with the ball. I want to get that feeling back. Once I get to that point...who knows?"